Northeast Georgia Health System won’t open its new hospital in Braselton until 2015 — but it’s already laying the groundwork for the next 20-30 years for its healthcare campus in South Hall.

The Gainesville-based health system is putting the finishing touches on its master plan for its 119-acre property on Thompson Mill Road (Ga. Hwy. 347) that is being called River Place in Braselton.

A 100-bed hospital — with room to expand — will be the key piece on the property, which already includes a medical office building. A second medical office building is slated to be constructed before the hospital opens.

“Master planning — when you’re looking at a site like this — involves two large tasks,” explained Anthony Williamson, vice president of service lines and Greater Braselton development for Northeast Georgia Health System. “That’s where on the site that the buildings are going to go. And, also at a very high level, what are (the buildings) going to look like.”

The master planning process further includes plans for how patients will access the buildings and how Northeast Georgia could expand buildings in the future, he said. All of that planning is wrapping up this month.

By late summer or early fall, the health system may start moving dirt in preparation for construction of the hospital, Williamson said. Construction of the hospital is expected to start in January or February 2013, and finish in early 2015.

But for now, the health system’s architects working on the Braselton plans are taking feedback from several public forums held during the winter into account in their designs.

“A lot of the feedback we got has carried forward,” Williamson said.

Many of those comments addressed concerns about accessing the property, parking and preservation of the site’s natural beauty. The property runs along the Mulberry River.

Northeast Georgia plans to take advantage of the hilly topography of the property by possibly concealing large parking areas from view on Thompson Mill Road, Williamson said.

“We want to look at the potential for the site to be a destination — not only for when members of the community are experiencing an illness, but also for things like wellness and other reasons to come to the site,” Williamson said.

But when Northeast Georgia asked the public to suggest what those amenities could be, it got proposals that ranged from amphitheaters and barbecue pits to soccer fields and putting greens, he said.

“But, really, our focus is on wellness and healthcare,” Williamson said. “We also want to be good neighbors for the community.”

Walking trails may be included on the healthcare campus, which is located next to The Village at Deaton Creek — a large, active-adult community.

As part of the planning process, Northeast Georgia is also considering what types of medical services it will offer on its Braselton property and the surrounding area. The health system anticipates focusing on physician recruitment for the new hospital in a year, Williamson said.

The Braselton hospital for Northeast Georgia Medical Center will build on the strengths of its main campus in Gainesville, he explained. It will emphasize its most successful programs — such as cardiology, oncology, outpatient surgery, orthopedics and rehabilitation.

And while the plan is to bring those services to Braselton, some highly specialized care — such as heart surgery — will continue to be only offered in Gainesville.

“We’ll be operating these programs in Braselton with the thought that there would be connectivity back to Gainesville, if needed,” Williamson said.

The new facility also won’t initially offer obstetrics, such as the delivery of babies at the hospital. The 2006 state approval for the Braselton hospital didn’t include obstetrics, but that may be offered in the future, he added.

An area that the new Northeast Georgia Medical Center Braselton will focus on is outpatient surgery — a demand that has been growing in Gainesville, Williamson said.

“A lot of healthcare has been moving toward the ambulatory — or outpatient — environment,” he said.

That’s a major reason why Medical Plaza II — a new medical office building on the healthcare campus — will be built next to the estimated 240,000 square-foot hospital.

Meanwhile, the health system continues to work closely with the Georgia Department of Transportation on the widening and realignment of Ga. Hwy. 347, which is a critical part for the hospital project.

The DOT will widen and realign the state highway from Ga. Hwy. 211 in Braselton to Interstate 985 in Flowery Branch. The segment in front of the hospital (Thompson Mill Road, from Ga. Hwy. 211 to Spout Springs Road) will be constructed first. A contractor for the road project is expected to be named in June.

“There’s no alternative for Hwy. 347 not being in place,” Williamson said of any potential road construction delays. “Our project is very much contingent on that road realignment being completed.”

The DOT has given Northeast Georgia three access points from Thompson Mill Road to its property, he explained. It has been using a road from Deaton Creek to enter the existing Medical Plaza I.

But even before dirt starts turning for the new hospital, Williamson said Northeast Georgia has received plenty of interest from those who want to take part in the building process.

The health system’s general contractor — Turner Construction Company — recently held a subcontractor and vendor outreach fair in Gainesville to let workers know how to get involved in the project. More than 100 people packed a room to hear from the general contractor, Williamson said. A website — www.ngmcproject.com — also includes details for potential vendors and subcontractors.

Northeast Georgia is encouraging local subcontractors and vendors to participate in the hospital project, Williamson said.

A study by the Enterprise Innovation Institute at Georgia Tech and the Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce estimated that the hospital project would produce 578 direct jobs with a compensation of $70 million, and an incremental 792 indirect jobs, with a compensation of $97.7 million.

#1
Comment of Braselton, in Braselton about Braselton...
on
06/01/12 at 05:04 PM
[Reply]

For the NEGA Medical Center NEAR Braselton, not IN Braselton at the moment, and has a HOSCHTON ADDRESS. The hospital "RIVER PLACE" is replacing was "LANIER PARK", it was not called "Lanier Park in Gainesville" or "Lanier Park of Gainesville" So RIVER PLACE doesnt need to be called "River Place of Braselton", People are considering it to be Braselton, Isn't that ENOUGH? Do we need to Lable EVERYTHING Remotely near the town "something of Braselton", sound like our town has an INFERIORITY COMPLEX or something.

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